Ford Motor Co. buys iconic train station building in Detroit

In a big moment for the city of Detroit, Ford Motor Company has acquired the vacant Michigan Central Station and the book depository building next door with plans to turn the properties into a center for advanced automotive technology.

The 18-story building first opened in December of 1913 as a passenger rail depot.

Ford will use the space as a new hub in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. What Ford will do with the space, though, is unclear. Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, is scheduled to discuss the company’s plans for the site during a press conference June 19.

The station has long been vacant, and has widely been considered a symbol of the blight that had spread throughout Detoit. Ford’s purchase of the space is another sign that Detroit is in the middle of a rejuvenation period.

The Mouroun family, which has owned the former passenger station since 1992, was the seller in this transaction.